Best Business Colleges in North Carolina2026 Rankings
With 50 Business programs spread across North Carolina, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
North Carolina offers 12 public and 18 private Business programs in this ranking. Public universities average $21,873 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — accepts 19% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Business graduates average $32,670, with a state-wide graduation rate of 52% for ranked programs.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina State University at RaleighPublic | Excellent· 44 | 40% | 85% | $13,992 | $56,877 | 15:1 | 77 | 26,389 |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillPublic | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $85,618 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 |
| 3 | Elon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 67% | 83% | $32,133 | $45,880 | 11:1 | 64 | 6,402 |
| 4 | Queens University of CharlottePrivate | Strong· 35 | 68% | 66% | $24,168 | $54,032 | 9:1 | 39 | 1,362 |
| 5 | Catawba CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 52% | $14,971 | $46,068 | 12:1 | 35 | 1,127 |
| 6 | Meredith CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 75% | 65% | $17,521 | $48,955 | 10:1 | 37 | 1,288 |
| 7 | Appalachian State UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $44,126 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 |
| 8 | Shaw UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 30% | 20% | $16,310 | $34,652 | 11:1 | 26 | 839 |
| 9 | Saint Augustine's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 59% | 33% | $17,866 | $23,746 | 11:1 | 27 | 766 |
| 10 | Elizabeth City State UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 48% | $8,929 | $34,414 | 17:1 | 32 | 1,863 |
| 11 | University of North Carolina WilmingtonPublic | Strong· 35 | 74% | 71% | $18,377 | $48,369 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 |
| 12 | Warren Wilson CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 43% | $15,474 | $22,535 | 11:1 | 23 | 720 |
| 13 | University of North Carolina AshevillePublic | Strong· 34 | 94% | 55% | $13,105 | $44,945 | 11:1 | 31 | 2,790 |
| 14 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $47,235 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 15 | University of North Carolina at CharlottePublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $46,272 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 |
| 16 | Fayetteville State UniversityPublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $30,944 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 |
| 17 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $43,299 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 18 | University of North Carolina at PembrokePublic | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $36,602 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 |
| 19 | North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $37,358 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 |
| 20 | North Carolina A & T State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $45,114 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 |
| 21 | Winston-Salem State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $32,541 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 |
| 22 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $37,725 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 23 | Johnson C Smith UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 43% | 34% | $17,959 | $37,906 | 11:1 | 24 | 1,047 |
| 24 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $42,840 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 25 | Lees-McRae CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 81% | 44% | $20,899 | $33,292 | 10:1 | 24 | 817 |
| 26 | Montreat CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 66% | 41% | $26,184 | $31,744 | 12:1 | 31 | 750 |
| 27 | Brevard CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 40% | 39% | $21,716 | $30,761 | 11:1 | 24 | 760 |
| 28 | Chowan UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 72% | 29% | $18,449 | $37,634 | 15:1 | 27 | 638 |
| 29 | Livingstone CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 74% | 27% | $16,327 | $25,757 | 13:1 | 19 | 798 |
| 30 | Western Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 87% | 59% | $13,085 | $39,513 | 16:1 | 55 | 9,867 |